Red Triangle
by mamacrime25
Summary: What happens when Lisbon falls victim to Red John and his plans for Jane? Set before the S4 finale. Team fic with some mentions of relationships past and present. Not necessarily Jisbon or Rigspelt. Read into it what you wish. Rated T for coarse language and graphic scenes later on. I own nothing!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first Mentalist multi-chapter fic. I am looking really forward to this. I have the story mostly written out, so I know where I am going with this story and updates should be swift. I am on the fence about Jane and Lisbon's relationship, but I hope to resolve some things by the end of this story. I began this not too long after I saw Cheap Burgundy because it's just an idea I had about the storyline and Agent Darcy. So, this is definitely before the "big" reveal about Red John being on the prowl for Lisbon. Also, I am a sadist, and I couldn't resist writing a story about Lisbon being kidnapped. The team will play an integral part in this fic. Even though there will be some scenes between Rigsby and Van Pelt (a couple I certainly love), there will not be a Rigspelt coupling in this story. This story will be rated T for some coarse language and some graphic scenes. Here goes it!

Also, I own nothing

He had always known this was a possibility, but now that it was a reality, it seemed surreal. She was gone. Teresa Lisbon was gone. She was gone without a trace of anything except a red face painted on her wall in blood. It was him; Red John had gotten to her.

It had begun as a typical Saturday. Lisbon and Jane had been spending nearly every free Saturday they had in pursuit of Red John. They were reviewing old cases, rethinking old case files, and trying anything new that they could come up with to find any new leads on Red John. Mainly, this was because of Agent Darcy. Lisbon was determined to find anything to prove that Jane had nothing to do with Red John and his sinister plans. She had full faith that Jane had nothing to do with that bastard, but her trust in Jane would not be enough to stop Darcy's inquiry. Therefore, they reviewed everything and left no stone unturned. Like every other Saturday, Jane arrived at Lisbon's place around 10am. She typically met him at the door in a state of near somber as she wasn't really a morning person, especially on Saturdays. Only today, she didn't meet him at the door, so Jane decided to let himself in, all the while plotting interesting ways to wake a sleeping Lisbon. However, when he entered her apartment, he found the grisly killer's calling card on her living room wall. He froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, for he of all people knew what this meant: death.

Slowly, cautiously, Jane began to search Lisbon's home. He was absolutely terrified by what he was likely to find. He'd been here before, and he wasn't sure if he could come back this time. This couldn't be happening again. How could Red John possibly know what they were doing? They hadn't told anyone about their Saturdays, let alone what they did. This couldn't be happening again. Lisbon had become his best friend. Unlike most people, she had hope for him. She cared about him. Though he could never admit it, he cared about her. While the Red John case may have driven him, she kept him going, and most importantly, she kept him from going over the edge. His relationship with Lisbon had been the only relationship he could maintain since the death of Angela and Charlotte. This is what horrified him the most. How could Red John have known just how important his relationship with Lisbon had become? Was this his sick way of punishing him even more? Lisbon's death would become another tally mark on the list of innocent people whose lives had ended abruptly because of Jane. After conducting a room by room search of Lisbon's home, he saw no sign of her. He was relieved not to have found Lisbon's mutilated body, but he was fearful and uncertain about what Red John had planned. He kidnapped Kristina Frye, and he returned her. However, she was no longer herself. Jane took in his surrounding and he knew what he had to do. It was time to call in the cavalry.

He was able to reach Cho first. He didn't want to cause a panic, or tip off the FBI if they had been listening, so he just told him an emergency team meeting had been called at Lisbon's. All of them should get there as soon as possible. Cho took care of the rest. One by one, they began to arrive at Lisbon's place. Jane was waiting outside greeting each of them while contemplating how he would break the news. How could he? How could he tell them he had lied about Red John to protect them all? How could he tell them their boss, their friend had been taken by Red John and would likely never be seen again? He had so much to say, but he, a man who could always roll with the punches, was finding it hard to find the words to say. There were no words that could cover this. That's right. Patrick Jane couldn't find the words to say.

"So do you know why we're having an emergency team meeting this morning?" asked Van Pelt, who had been the first to arrive.

"Hmm?" asked a distracted Jane. "I think we should wait for the others." Jane was most worried for how Grace would take the news. In their last confrontation with Red John, she had paid the biggest price. She lost the most. Thankfully, Jane didn't have to sit with her too long because Cho and Rigsby pulled up at almost exactly the same time. Jane stood up and led the team inside. Rigsby had been the first to notice the gruesome calling card in dark red.

"Oh my God," said Rigsby as he pointed Cho and Van Pelt to the symbol that had rendered him speechless.

"What the hell?" asked Grace. Cho, as usual, stood silently with a scowl before looking to Jane. It was show time, unfortunately for Jane.

"He…has her," struggled Jane. "Red John has Lisbon."

"But Red John is dead," responded Cho.

"No, no he's not," softly replied Jane. His voice was ready to betray him. He wasn't a man who was easily shaken, but he could see this for what it was. Lisbon was gone. She was possibly dead or worse, and it was his fault. It was his fault that their friend had been preyed upon. He let it happen again.

All eyes were on Jane now. He had some explaining to do. "I figured it out after my trial. I shared with Lisbon. At first, she didn't believe me. Then, after the Panzer case, she knew it, too. She agreed to keep it quiet so as to not wake the sleeping dragon, metaphorically. As of lately, Agent Darcy has grown suspicious about Red John. She thinks I am Red John, or that I am one of his disciples. Lisbon and I have been getting together every Saturday morning to go through old case files, check out new leads, and come up with theories. When I came this morning, I found this."

There was a very awkward moment of silence. No one knew what to say. "I can't believe you knew and didn't tell us," said Van Pelt. "I mean, what the hell is your problem? There's a twisted psychopath on the loose, and while the world thinks he's dead, he's kidnapping and killing people! You know? Maybe Darcy's right. Are you Red John? Do you work for him? Because you sure as hell seem to get off on this twisted game. And, if you're not him, then you're no better than he is for going along with all of this."

Cho and Rigsby had remained silent during Grace's tirade. Admittedly, her words stung Jane. Cho could see the panged expression in his face at Grace's words. Jane had expected them to be upset, but he wasn't expecting this tongue lashing to come from Grace, not "Gullible Grace" as he used to call her. She certainly wasn't gullible anymore. Not since O'Laughlin. He had taken the spark from the redheaded rookie. In some ways, he had hardened her heart. Rigsby turned to Grace and softly mumbled, "Let him finish, Grace."

"Grace, you of all people should understand why I didn't want anyone to know, to get hurt," responded Jane.

With that, Grace could feel her eyes begin to water, and she spitefully remarked, "You son of a bitch." She quickly took off with a quiet Rigsby in suit.

A/N: So what do you guys think so far? Please feel free to review…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I was really surprised by the incredibly positive feedback I received about the first chapter! I think I've come to the conclusion that I am not going to have a Jane and Lisbon pairing in this story because I am not sure that it's necessary for the plotline here. Here's chapter two! This chapter is mostly the fallout from Jane's announcement. Please enjoy and review. I still don't own anything.

"Grace, wait!" yelled Rigsby as he chased after her. She finally stopped at the outer door of the building. She couldn't help herself; she couldn't restrain her sobs any longer. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

"How could they have kept this from us? I mean, aren't we a team?" she asked Rigsby as she remained with her back to him. "What purpose could they have? Red John is sick. He deserves to burn hell for all of eternity for what he has done. Now, he has Lisbon."

"You mean, for everything he's done to you?" asked Rigsby as he reached for Grace's arm. Quickly, she turned to face him.

"Yes," she answered. "I never did anything to irk that bastard, but he sent Craig to target me, to get close to the team, and to get close to Jane because I was the weakest link. I fell in love with someone who didn't even want to be with me. He was just collecting intel for a serial killer. Huh, a guy not wanting me. Story of my life, right?" Rigsby looked at Grace with a sense of pain in his eyes. He still cared for Grace deeply. Even though she was the one who broke things off for the sake of both of their careers, he should've stopped her. God, he wanted to stop her, take her into his arms, and tell her they could make it through this. However, he hadn't done that, and this was the fallout. O'Laughlin was the fallout. Now, he had the opportunity to change all of that. There was nothing stopping him from being here for Grace right now in this moment as her friend.

"I'm sorry," said Rigsby. "You never deserved any of that. Red John will pay."

"Why did they lie to us?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure they had their reasons to keep this from us. We need to find her. We'll need Jane's help to do that. I know you feel betrayed. I think we all feel that sense of betrayal. We will get through this."

"Will we get through this, Wayne? I mean, will all of us get through this? What about Lisbon? Will she have to pay with her life? She doesn't deserve this either," remarked Grace as she cleaned off her face. "I mean, what has Red John done to you? You weren't the one whose life was turned upside down in our last go round…"

"He hurt you," he sheepishly interjected. Grace just looked at him. She could always read Rigsby. She knew that her relationship with O'Laughlin had killed him. She could tell he was telling the truth right now. Grace cleaned herself up a little bit. Now was not the time or place for this. Boss's life was on the line.

"You're right. We need to get back in there," she replied abruptly.

"Promise me you won't shoot Jane?" asked Rigsby as the pair had turned to walk back inside. At this, Grace let out a slight chuckle.

Inside Lisbon's apartment, Cho maintained his glare at Jane. Jane could tell Cho had something churning in his head. "Go ahead, Cho. Ask me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "Any try giving the real answer. Stop bullshitting me."

"I had to be certain," replied Jane. "It's a dangerous road for all involved. No need to put you all at risk."

"You were certain after Panzer's death," said Cho. "Why not tell us then?"

"If he thought we all believed he was dead, he had no reason to strike again," said Jane. Grace and Rigsby had returned inside.

"So why did he strike again?" asked Rigsby. Jane felt a lump in his throat. He didn't want to say it, but it had to be said.

"I provoked Panzer to say he was greater than Red John," said Jane. The agents took a moment to absorb this information. Then, Jane continued. "It was a way to prove to me, to Lisbon that he really was still alive. After Panzer's death, Agent Darcy came looking into Red John. I tried to throw her off the trail, but I wasn't successful. I wanted to spare another innocent life. He's looking to engage in a game now. That's why he took Lisbon."

"So, let's get this straight," began Grace. "You kill an unarmed man, convince a jury to let you off, provoke a serial killer to kill again, lie to the feds, and then, you don't trust the team enough to tell us your theory."

"It's not that I don't trust you," said Jane. "Like I said before, I wanted to keep you safe. That's also why I lied to Darcy. I am not sure why he took Lisbon. As far as he knows, she doesn't know he's still alive."

"Maybe she's on to something she shouldn't be," said Cho.

"Or maybe because she's close to Jane," said Grace. "Maybe he's trying to provoke you now." Jane grimaced, but the fact of the matter was that Van Pelt was likely right on the money.

"So what's our plan?" asked Rigsby.

"Wait," said Cho. "I want to make this clear, Jane. From now, this is a level playing field. You tell us what you know. Everything. The only way we will find Lisbon is by working together. Van Pelt is probably right. Red John is probably trying to engage you. Like it or not, he's in your head. You can't go rogue on this one. It could cost Lisbon her life. Do you understand?"

"Yes," replied Jane. "I get it. Believe me. I get it."

"So what's our plan?" asked Rigsby as he broke the ice.

"I'm thinking about it," said Jane. "We need to go over the last thing Lisbon reviewed. Cho's right. She likely stumbled onto something Red John does not want to be known." In this moment, he was glad he had the ability to conceal his true feelings because he was lying to himself.

He knew all of this was because of him. He had grown close to Lisbon. He was quite fond of Lisbon. She had become his rock. She was always there for him when he needed her. Lisbon always brought him back from the edge of darkness. Red John was no fool. He could see this. He should've been more careful. Now, she was gone. Jane wished he could afford the luxury of optimism, but he had seen what Red John could do. He didn't want to even consider what Red John might have already done to her. He was worried for Lisbon, but ultimately, he knew Red John wanted to draw him out. This frightened him because he couldn't fathom what his endgame would be; however, he would keep these thoughts to himself. He needn't cause a stir; they needed to find Lisbon.

A/N: Please don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, I didn't expect this story to catch on as well as it has. I've been reading your reviews, and I hope I don't let anyone down. To all of those who have reviewed, especially the guest reviewers to whom I cannot reply, thank you so much! I still don't own anything!

Her head was pounding. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids failed her. She decided to take a moment while breathing in the staunch air. She tried to open her eyes again, but this time she did so slowly. Her eyes fluttered open. As she turned her head from side to side, she realized that she was not in a familiar place. She consciously made the decision to sit up once she felt like her head wouldn't implode when she did. As she sat up, she took in her surroundings. From what she could tell, she was in a 9x9 bedroom with white washed walls. There were few furnishings in the room other than the bed where she had regained consciousness, a soft white arm chair, an iPod docked to an alarm clock on a nightstand which was also painted white.

"Hello?" called out a groggy Lisbon as she swung her legs over the side of the bed where she took note that her clothes had been changed. This was not what she was wearing last night…this morning? She really had no idea if it were day or night; all she could see was that the clock read 11:17. There were no windows for her to see light or dark. At this point, the only thing that she could definitively gather was that she woke up in a strange room, in a foreign bed, and in a white nightgown that was not like anything she owned.

She decided to get up and check out her surroundings. Her feet touched the fluffy white carpet and she felt a sensation go through her body. It was strange, but not alarming. Her head hurt a little more. As she walked around the room, she noticed a small door. She reluctantly opened it. It was a bathroom. The first thing she noticed was the grisly message scrawled across the mirror in red. _Dearest Teresa, I hope you enjoy your stay. I promise it won't last long._

Suddenly, it all came flashing back to her. He had come to her home last night. He was too quick. He cold cocked her before she knew what was happening. He overpowered her. That's why her head hurt so much. Only, her head wasn't bleeding, so she had no idea whose blood that was on the mirror. Why wasn't she already dead? Fearless Lisbon was fearless no more as she reached for her mother's cross, the only possession that he had allowed her to keep, as she came to the realization of what her fate would most likely be. She held out hope for the team and for Jane because she had seen what the butcher could do. If today were her last, she could handle that, but she couldn't handle their destruction. What would her death to the team? To Jane? At that moment, Lisbon made the unconscious decision to fight.

Jane and the team decided to head into the CBI's Headquarters. They all made a pact to keep this within the team for now. They didn't call it in because they knew she'd hate to be victimized, and they didn't know who they could trust when it came to Red John. Cho, Jane, and Van Pelt began pouring through case files, while Rigsby called in a favor to gain access to traffic cameras near Lisbon's home. Jane knew this was much too rudimentary, but they had to do something. Red John had slipped up once before. Perhaps he would do it again. However, Jane hoped the results would not be as disastrous this time as they were last time. God, Lisbon had been hurt that time, too. Jane had begun to wonder who Red John was really trying to torture. He was certain that he was ready to put the final nail in this asshole's coffin. He could taste it. If it were the last thing he ever did in the world, he would stand over Red John's corpse with 100% certainty of his identity and satisfaction. Jane was a rational man. He knew what was taken from him was irreplaceable, but it would finally end. The torture, the anguish would end. Maybe then the healing could begin. Even at this time, he could hear Lisbon's voice in his head giving him some speech about how they could get through this. She always held out hope for him, even when he was ready to give up on himself. She was truly the one who smiled when things got rough, but Jane was no fool. He could never be whole again.

Cho noticed Jane had drifted into his own thoughts again. "Have something you want to share with the rest of us?" Cho maintained his usually stoic face, but inside, he was anything but that right now. He had been with Lisbon the longest. He had developed a great sense of loyalty to his boss. Now, her life was at stake. Yet, he still couldn't help but be irked that he had been kept out of the loop. There was a time when Lisbon would've confided in him. There was a time when he would've confided in her. Boy, how things change. Jane had been able to pull off another trick on the team, this time with the knowledge of Lisbon, and it had the potential to be an incredibly costly trick yet.

"Why her?" asked Jane.

"She's on the case," responded Cho. "That makes all of us expendable targets."

"And she's your friend," followed Van Pelt.

"No, I understand all of that," said Jane. "But why not come after the entire team? You're all equally important to the case."

"She's our leader, so maybe he's trying to chop off the head," said Cho. When he received a ghastly look from Van Pelt, he added, "figuratively speaking."

"Ok, but why now? Why like this?" asked Jane.

"Like what?" asked Van Pelt.

"He attacked her in her home," said Jane. "He could've gained much easier access to her. Also, if he got the jump on her, why didn't he just kill her?"

"So, you're confused as to why he didn't bust butcher our boss and friend sooner?" retorted Van Pelt, who was clearly upset.

"Grace, I know you're upset with me, but look at the bigger picture here," said Jane. "This is a significant break in pattern for him.

"Jane's right," said Cho. "This is odd. He's about ritual and pattern."

"If this were about killing Lisbon, she would be dead. No. This is about something else. He doesn't want her dead. He's upping the ante," added Jane.

"He wants to get to you," said Cho. "We know how he feels about you and anyone close to you…and you care about Lisbon."

Jane said nothing. To be honest, he did not know what to say. He could deny Cho's claim. It would be lie. He could affirm Cho's claim. It would be a can of worms he wasn't ready to open. For now, he settled on sulking. He had known this was his fault since he found that sinister smiley face on her living room wall this morning. From the moment he began consulting with the CBI, he had turned it into an open season for Red John. Cho was absolutely right. Jane and Lisbon had grown close. They shared their secrets. They spent their free time together. Granted, they were hunting a serial killer all this time, but that never stopped their bond of friendship from developing and deepening. Effectually, she was his best friend. Finally, Jane spoke out eight, solemn, cold words that he had never wanted to say about Lisbon. "He's going to use her as his pawn."

Grace chimed in. "If that's his intention, then why hasn't he contacted you?"

"You know that when playing a game with Red John, he likes to play by his rules. He won't reveal anything until he's ready.

"Great. Another thing you two share," said Grace. For this, she earned a glare from Cho. He could tell Grace was upset with Jane. However, this was not the time nor the place. Their focus should be on Lisbon right now. Besides, he also knew that the shear anger she felt earlier had turned to fear. Her remarks to Jane were meaningless. At the end of the day, everyone wanted the same thing: Red John's death. Of course, as peace officers of the state of California, it was typically their mantra to capture, not kill, and let a jury sort it all out. Well, Red John was one of those rare cases where no one on the team had a problem going beyond their sworn duty to solve.

No one wanted Lisbon back more than Cho. They had come up in the CBI together. When he was assigned to Lisbon's unit, other male agents heckled him. However, he firmly believed that she had paid her dues just like the rest of them had. He enjoyed working with her. Even though Jane changed her, he was still loyal to the boss. When La Roche switched him and Lisbon, Cho had hated it. He hated being used as a pawn to keep Lisbon in her place, so to speak. To him, she was the team leader. Period. Now, even in her untimely absence, he wouldn't take it over. Of course, he had his own aspirations, but Lisbon had always been a fair boss and a damn good ally.

"I got something you guys should see," said Rigsby who had just returned and interrupted the silence. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was up. Cho was holding things together. Grace was scared. Jane was riddled with guilt.

"What?" asked Jane.

"There was a vehicle that kept circling Lisbon's neighborhood," Rigsby continued as he loaded the disc into the computer. "That late model white Suburban keeps circling the area. Has been for the past five days."

"Could be a neighbor," said Grace.

"I checked. No white Suburbans of that style registered to anyone in the area. Now, check this out." Rigsby zoomed in on the plate. "See what that says?"

"R-J-E-N-T," read Jane. "Red John Enterprises. It's him." Just then, the screen went dark. That red smiley face appeared once again. Everyone braced themselves. There was no telling what Red John was cooking. They had seen his videos before. They were not exactly the type that would make it to American's Funniest Home Videos.

It was another voyeuristic video like they had received a few weeks ago. The camera was in Lisbon's home. They watched as he climbed the stairs. "What the hell?" asked Rigsby.

Suddenly, the cameraman was at the door. He meticulously turned the knob with his gloved hand. Red John was always a stickler for detail. He wanted them to know forensics would be useless. It was Lisbon's bedroom. They knew because they could see their boss's sleeping form lying in the bed. That bastard had invaded her personal space. He was over her body. The gloved hand that had just turned that door knob was now stroking her raven hair. A message flashed across the screen that read_: She certainly looks like an angel._ The four of them looked on in horror as Lisbon's eyes fluttered open. The look sheer panic was evident on her face. She made the attempt to reach her nightstand, where they all assumed she kept her gun, but it was to no avail. The hand that had ever so gently stroked her hair moments before was now used to grab her and slam her head brutally into the headboard. She had definitely lost consciousness. From what they could see, she was not bleeding, so that was somewhat good news because it meant that she wasn't somewhere bleeding out. The word "_home"_ flashed across the screen. That was the end. The computer restarted itself.

"My, God," whispered Van Pelt. "What did that mean?" Rigsby and Cho were rendered speechless. They had just watched Lisbon attacked in her home, and there was nothing they could do about it. Hell, they didn't even know how to begin to find her. Literally, they had nowhere to turn. They were at the mercy of Red John's game; however, they all understood that in these games, the house usually won.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am surprised by the popularity of this story! Here's chapter four. Let me know what you guys think! Reviews (including criticism) are always appreciated. I still own nothing!

Lisbon couldn't remember the last time that she had been so uncertain about a situation. She was incredibly unsure as to what to do. She knew well enough to be thankful to still be alive at this point, but to worry about the fact that was indeed still alive. She knew what was to come. Sometimes, Red John liked to play with his food before eating it. What did he have planned for her? Why was she here? Knowing Red John, all of this had a deeper meaning that he would reveal when he was ready to provoke Jane. Then, it hit her and caused a pang to soar throughout her body. Jane. Oh God, Jane. She knew this somehow involved him. Her best guess told her that Red John was looking for a tussle with Jane. She was the bait. What worried her most is what this would do to Jane. Agent Darcy already suspected him of being Red John. If she died, would they believe it was him? How would he take it? So much was going through Lisbon's head at the time, and none of it was helping her headache.

Suddenly, the eerie classical music began playing from the radio. Lisbon knew this was part of the Red John package. She attempted to turn off the radio, but she was unsuccessful. Then, she heard the lock turn. She couldn't lie to herself; she was terrified. Red John was a butcher. He killed just for the thrill of killing. He killed to preserve his twisted code of honor. He killed as a part of a game. No, Lisbon was under no allusions, nor could she afford to be. She knew what could and probably would happen to her. She calmly, pensively sat down on the edge of the bed. She knew she had some decisions, some hard decisions to make. She promised herself that no matter what happened in this room, even if this were her last day, she would go out with dignity. She wouldn't surrender without a fight. However, with each sound of the lock turning and the door knob opening, she couldn't help but grow anxious. It was unnerving to know that death lie in wait just beyond that door that would soon open. As the door opened, Lisbon felt her eyes unconsciously widen in shock as she saw the man who stood in front of her.

"Good morning, Teresa," he said. Lisbon found it hard to muster the words to respond to him. She couldn't believe her eyes. Were they playing tricks on her? Could she really be seeing him here? Although she never really knew of what to think of Red John, of what he could sound like, or what he would look like, she just didn't think it would be him, especially now. "Teresa, are you alright, dear?" He spoke to her again, but she could say a word. He simply chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day that you were speechless. Hardly seems like the girl I know with that feisty attitude."

Lisbon always figured she would come up with some crafty way to tell Red John where he could go and what he could do when got there when she saw him before someone put a bullet in him. However, the moment of truth was upon her and the utter shock at the man in front of her made her lips betray her. "Are you…him?" she finally muttered.

"Red John?" he asked as he chuckled before he spat back, "of course I am. Who were you expecting? Big foot?" She narrowed her green eyes at him. His attempt at humor did little to put her at ease. She was still in shock, but her face gradually began to turn red. Yet another member of the CBI had turned to corruption. Not just any form of corruption. It was the ultimate corruption. He had just confessed to being a serial murderer. The same one they had been seeking for years. She didn't know how or even why. None of that mattered. Seriously, how did the CBI keep attracting whackos? Was there some kind of sign at headquarters that read "only psychos or those who could be turned need apply"?

"Now, Teresa, don't get upset," he said. He could tell her demeanor was starting to change. "I would hate to have to medicate you." That comment made her furrow her brows. Why did Red John want to medicate her? He laughed again as he started, "I am not going to kill you, Teresa. You should know better than that by now. We've been through a lot together. I love you. I took you because I want you with me. I've been watching you and Jane. To be quite honest, I'm tired of this little cat and mouse game. I ready to bring it to an end. Consider this a two for one deal. I finally get Jane where I want him, and of course, I get you."

Honestly, Lisbon didn't know what to say until she finally sputtered, "Me?"

"Yes, Teresa. I get you," He chuckled again. That sound use to not unnerve her as much as it did in this instance. Hell, before today, that sound brought happier memories. Now it was just an eerie reminder of Red John's ability to use her as a pawn in his game with Jane. She knew now that Red John had her and apparently wanted her for some reason. He was enjoying this moment, but she needed clarification. God, for some reason she needed to verify what she already knew in her gut to be true.

"What do you mean you get me? What exactly does that mean?" she asked.

"You know what I mean, Teresa," he replied. "I've been in love with you from nearly the moment I met you. You've…awaken something inside of me. Something that hadn't been there in quite a long time. Not to mention you're beautiful—and loyal. You've always proven to me just how loyal you are." He moved closer to her so that there was not much space between them. She looked down at the floor. She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with him. Suddenly, she felt his hand stroking her right cheek. She grimaced as he tilted her head up so that her eyes met his gaze. His glare was so deep that it almost seemed like he was peering into her soul. He needn't say anything at all. His eyes were saying it all right now. As if it were possible, he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "Don't you dare try anything, Teresa. This will all be over soon. Don't be scared and don't fret."

He continued to touch her face, which made her uncomfortable, but when he leaned in to kiss her, it made her skin crawl. She resisted ever so slightly, but shock and uncertainty still shook her to the core. When he tried to deepen the kiss and she felt his other hand slide up her thigh, not even the shock could keep her from breaking away. Normally, she could remain cool and calm in any situation. Always an agent first. There was nothing she couldn't handle, but this was something that she could have never expected. She was still dumbfounded that he was Red John, but his words and the knowledge that this was his endgame made the stakes even higher. He stroked her cheek and pushed her raven locks behind her ear one last time before he turned around and walked out, locking the door behind him again.

A/N: What are your guesses? Who is Red John? Feel free to include your guesses in those reviews that I would love for you to send :p


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